Paying Myself First

"Pay yourself first."  I'm sure I've heard this from multiple sources over the years, but it was Robert Kiyosaki's explanation of the concept that really made it sink in.  This is as I remember it, so forgive me if it's not exact...he explained that it was important to pay yourself first because then you will do what you need to do to get the rest of your bills paid. It may mean finding other sources of income, a part-time second job, prioritizing your spending differently, etc.  Essentially because you have to...there are more negative consequences for not paying your bills than not paying yourself.  If you pay all your bills first and have nothing left to pay yourself, you just won't.  No one holds you accountable to yourself except yourself.  When I first started working at the wellness center I recently left, I took on a second job at a garden center to pay my bills while I worked to build my clientele.  Granted, I can't say I really put into practice the concept of paying myself first, but I completely understood the idea of doing what I needed to pay my bills.  My point, however, is not about finances.  It's about balance.

Over the past couple months I have been in the process of starting up my own business.  I had finally come to the point where my fear and resistance to going out on my own became something I was willing to face.  I love it.  It's been exciting and rewarding.  And of course I've had my days of feeling completely overwhelmed and stressed.   It has taken a lot of hard work and energy and I'm still getting used to the newness of it all.  There are many days where I feel like all I do is work all day;  between office work and actually seeing clients and then coming home to do more computer work, manage all the household responsibilities, and be the best caregiver I can be right now for my Gram (I thank God for a very supportive family!)  I can see how very easy it is to get so caught up in working, that I lose the balance in my life of keeping myself healthy physically, emotionally and spiritually.  One of my recent Toltec lessons was on 'making things non-negotiable'.  The practice is to choose four things to do every day that I feel will make a difference in my life and to make them non-negotiable.  I decided on (1) ACIM and Toltec lessons/readings, (2) meditation, (3) yoga, (4) the practice of a gazing technique I learned recently.  But seriously, how am I going to do these everyday with everything else I have going on and need to do?!

I need to pay myself first.  I'm the first one to tell people that we need to prioritize our own self-care if we want to be available for others.  In this case, paying myself first means prioritizing these four things in my daily life because I know they will help me maintain balance.  They will help me maintain a healthy flow within my life, rather than my overdrive, crash and burn pattern.  The thing is, the 'to do' list will always be there.  I cross one thing off and write in three more.  There will never come a point where everything in life will be done, finally leaving me time for myself.  It doesn't work that way.  So I will prioritize that time for myself now, each day, and know I'll be able to get done what I need to in the time that's left, even if it means finding new and creative ways to do that. In fact, I think I will find myself feeling more calm and having more energy and joie de vivre overall!  What are the things you do to bring balance into your life?  How do you pay yourself first?